Feeder for metal-working machines



U. D. FOSTER AND J. LITKE. FEEDER FOR METAL WORKING MACHINES.

APPUCATION FILED MAR. l?, 1919.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEElS-SHEEI l.

u, D. FOSTER AND 1. LKE.

FEEDER FOR METAL WORKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. IZ, 19l9.

SHEET Z.

Patented Aug. 24, 1926,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

URI D. FOSTER AND JOHN LITKE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE HART & HEGEMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

FEEDER FOR METAL-WORKING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

y Application filed March 17, 1919. Serial No. 283,120.

To all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that we, URI D. FOSTER and Jol-1N Lrrnn, citizens of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of I-Iartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeders for Metal-orking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to what we shall for convenience term a feeder for metalworking machines. It is conceivable of course that the invention can be incorporated in machines of other kinds for which reason we have as will be clear, selected the title given for the purpose stated. IVe have found in practice the invention to be particularly advantageous when used in connection with a screw-thread forming machine. Ille might say that our primary motive is the provision of efficient and durable means for effecting the proper presentation of an article to a device which is to operate on it. Zhen the invention is incorporated in a screw-thread forming machine, the function of the feeding mechanism is to assure the proper presentation of a blank to threading means which may be and in this case, preferably is, in the form of dies. Ve might observe that in existing types of screwthread-rolling machines with which we are familiar, considerable difliculty attends the proper presentation of the blanks to the rolling means.

In the drawings accompanying and form'- ing part of the present specification we have illustrated in detail a form of embodiment of the invention which we will set forth fully in the following description to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Obviously we are not restricted to this disclosure; we may depart therefrom in several respects within the scope of the claims following said description.

Referring to said drawings:

,. Figure l is a sectional side elevation of a feeder involving the invention as incorporated in a thread rolling machine.

v Fig. 2 is a sectional top plan view and Fig. 3 is a sectional front elevation of the same.

Fig. 4. is a section on the line Ll-t'of Fig. 1' looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, Fig. 6 an eleyation as seen from the right in Fig. 5

i and Fig. 7 a bottom plan view of a feederelement.

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail view of a modication.

Figs. 9, l() and 1l are diagrammatic plan views of the die members and certain coperative parts showing the course of a blank.

Like l characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

As we have already indicated the feeding mechanism is susceptible of general use. In action, however, it has demonstrated its particular usefulness in the metal-working art, having been employed in conjunction with thread-forming machines and particularly of that character used for rolling a thread. IVe have in fact shown certain of the parts of a thread-rolling machine and these to illustrate the advantages of the structure. The machine includes in its structure a chute or runway as 2 consisting as shown of complementary or duplicate plates or walls spaced apart a distance equaling practically the diameter of the shanks of the blanks which traverse said chute or runway, the heads of the blanks as 3 traveling along the upper inclined portion of the chute or runway in their passage toward the threadrolling mechanism.

The thread-rolling mechanism comprises a fixed die member as 4 and a reciprocatory die member as 5 through the joint action of which, on the reciprocation of the die mem ber 5 the thread is formed. One of the difficulties heretofore has been the proper presentation of the blanks to these die members. The structure which we provide in* sures the accurate supply of blanks to the die mechanism. It will be understood that the chute or runway and die members are not new with us. Above the chute or runway 2 is a guard rail 6 which extends virtually to the lower end of the chute and is inclined as is common.

In addition to a chute or runway as 2 or equivalent element, we provide what we term a carrier-member such as that denoted in a general way by 7. This carriermember is practically as shown in the form of a blade and is united to a support as 1l which is mounted in the present case for rocking movement. The carrier-member comprises a somewhat elongated shank as 9 the upper portion of which as illustrated, is

functions as we will hereinafter explaimg The upper angular portion of the shank 9,

of the carrier member 7 as shown is rigidly fastened to the lower portion of the apron 11, supported as by the pivot 12 above the upper angular branch of the bracket 13, the

lower horizontal branch of which is adjustabl vconnected as b a screw 14 extending D through an elongated slot in said branch and threaded into the block as 15 constituting a lixed part of the frame'l of the machine. By loosening the screw 14 the block l13 may be vadjusted to correspondingly adjust the carrier member 7 toward or from the chute or runway 2. Then the adjustment is accomplished the screw 111 is set. The carrier member 7 is normally held in operative relation as by the spring 17 set in mating bores or cavities in the upper angularv portion of the block 13 and apron 11.

The carrier member or rather the vertical portion of the shank 9 thereof terminates at its-lower end as we have noted in afoot 10, the inner side of which is rounded or convex, the upper surface of said foot being beveled. The inner portion of this foot engages under the head of a blank 3 just as the same emerges from the chute or runway 2. It will of course be understood vthat the function of the spring 17 is to normally hold the foot in its said operative position under the head of the vadvance screw blank as shown clearly in Fig. 3. As a matter of fact as the advance blank leaves the chute the head of said blank is at once caught by the foot 10. It will of course beunderstood that the foot 10 catches the extreme forward blank just as it leaves the feed chute 2 and holds said blankin position for feeding to the die mechanism; The consequence of'this is, that the shank of the blank is thus by the foot, tipped forwardly so that it will not catch the chute or runway 2 when advanced toward the die mechanism.

The carrier member 7 as we have already explained supports the blank by engaging under the head thereof in its passage from the chute or runway 2 toward the thread rolling mechanism.V It is fed across the gap in front ofthe chute and toward the die mechanism in a positive manner for instance as bymeans including a main feeder member 19 which has areciprocation and which is generally power driven. This feeder member 19 Vactually forces the advance blank from the chute or runway.

Saidfeeder member 19 has on the' under side thereof the downwardly extending bead 20` practically midway between the ends thereof, and'it also has on its outer or front side a longitudinal channel or rabbet 21 to receive for sliding movement, the secondary feedei-member 22 the latter functioning to push the blank received from theV primary feeder member19 into the space between the, cooperating dies 4C, and 5. The primary feeder member 19'has on its under side at the front, a transverse recess or aperture 23 the inner side or wall of which is the front end of thebead 20. The walls of the recess or aperture 23 diverge forwardly or away from the chute 2 and said recess is shallower at the back than attheY front. Normally the foot 10 is situated in this recess. As a screw leaves the ch'uteor runway 2 it enters the recess 23 and its head is caught by the footv 10 in themanner previously described. T he primary feeder member havingan advance movement toward the right for instance in Fig.V l, it is evi'dentthat the front face of the bead 20 will push the screw blank sidewise on said advance to get the head of the blank entirely out of the recess 23. The back or rear side wall ofthe recess is really the front end of thebead 20. When the head of the screw is entirely out of the recess, it being still supported by the foot 10, it will be engagedby the secondary feed member 22 on its advance toward the right in Fig. 1 so that it can be pushed into the space between the die members 4 and 5 and thererolled to form a screw. Y f Fig. 8 shows a modification. In this case thefprimary feeder member 25 is practically like the corresponding feeder member 19 100 already described.V The die mechanism we will denote in a general way by 26. The secondary feeder member 27 in action is like the secondary feeder memberl 22 already described. Y The secondary feeder member 27, 105 however, has in its upper forward corner a notch 28 in which the head of the blank 29 maybe received. In view of this condition the blank is positively held against longitudinal movement in its feed toward the 11o die mechanism 2(3,cbeing shown by dotted lines as'occupying a positionbetween the dies which are like those already described.

In the structure shown for instance by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the carrier member 7 is 115 supported for swinging movement back of itsoperative end or that part which'is provided with the foot 10. rIhis mounting provides that when the foot portion of said car- ,rier member is moved outward or to the left 12o forfeed therealong, means foi` Vpositively Swinging forward away from the chute the lower portion of the advance article emerging therefrom, and means for imparting a movement to the article in a direction transverse to its line of movement along the chute.

2. The combination of a chute to receive articles in the form of headed shanks, the chute supporting the heads of the articles for feed therealong, means for positively tipping forward away from the chute the lower portion of the advance article emerging therefrom, die mechanism, and means for imparting a movement to the article in a direction transverseto its line of movement along the chute and into the die mechanism.

3. The combination of a chute to receive articles in the form of headed shanks, the chute Supporting the heads of the articles for feed therealong, means to engage an article as it emerges from the chute and for moving its Shank away from the chute, means to prevent upward movement of the headed shank practically as it leaves the chute, and means for moving the article away from the chute.

4. The combination of a chute to receive artitcles in the form of headed shanks, the chute supporting the heads of the articles for feed therealong, support the head of an article as it emerges from the chute and for moving its shank away from the chute, while its head is thus supported, and independent means for moving the article in a direction transverse to its line of movement along the chute.

5. The combination of a chute to receive articles in the form of headed Shanks, the chute supporting the heads of the articles for feed therealong, means to engage the head of an article as it emerges from the chute and for tippingits shank away from the chute, a reciprocatory feeder having means to engage the head of the article practically as it leaves the chute, and for moving the article free of the chute, and a second reciprocatory feeder to engage the article when freed by the first feeder and to move it in a direction transverse to its direction `of travel along the chute.

6. The combination of a chute to receive articles in the form of headed Shanks, the

chute supporting the heads of the articles means to engage andv for feed therealong, and a movably mounted part provided with means to engage under provided with means to engage under the head of an article as it emerges from the chute to cause the shank of the article to swing away from the chute.

8. The combination of a chute to receive articles in the form of headed shanks, the chute supporting the heads of the articles for feed therealong, and a swinging springactuated part to engage under the head of an article as it emerges from the chute and to cause the shank of the article to tip away from the chute.

9. The combination of a chute to receive articles in the form of headed shanks, the chute supporting the heads of the articles for feed therealong, a movably-mounted part provided with means to engage under the head of an article as it emerges from the chute and to tip the shank of the article away from the chute, and means to free the article from the chute.

l0. The combination of a chute to receive articles in the form of headed shanks, a chute supporting the heads of the articles for feed therealong, a spring-actuated part to engage under the head of an article as it emerges from the chute and to cause the Shank of the article to tip away from the chute, a reciprocatory feeder adapted on its advance to move the article wholly free of the chute and of said feeder and also to engage its head and to prevent upward movement of the article, and a second reciprocatory feeder adapted on its advance to engage the article and to move the same in a direction transverse to its line of motion along the chute.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

` URI D. FOSTER.

J. LITKE. Vitnesses:

A. E. BASSETT,

MONROE GUITT. 

